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It wouldn’t be a new year without at least a few roundups of some of the trends that we are seeing pop up in the design world. And while yes, you shouldn’t follow the trends from year to year and adapt or change your style to what seems “in”. We do like pulling these trend roundups together and showcasing some of our favorites because we love introducing you to what is new and “fresh” in the world of design – after all there is A LOT of fun new stuff out there that you might not know about, and there are often a lot of trends that although they might be “new” on the market can feel timeless when done the right way in your own home. Today we are kicking it off with all things Bathroom.

Bathrooms typically aren’t a place to “take a risk” or do something “trendy” but we are very into all of these spaces so let’s get into it and talk Bathroom Trends we are seeing in 2018:

One-Material Rooms:

This one is made a big debut in the 80’s and is back and better than ever. When this “one material” trend it is done right, it can really turn the space into an impactful, uniform and special place. Do I think I could handle a bubblegum pink bathroom every single day, NO. But I could be very into this space if it was in all white or a more muted pastel tone. Basically rather than drywalling, taking the tile half way up the wall, or filling the space with a collection of materials you do the same material from floor to ceiling and wall to wall and embrace one material for the entire bathroom.

The same concept can be applied to a monochromatic bathroom like the one below if you aren’t into a bright pop of color.

It’s not just for tile either – you can use the same material like a plaster, limewash or concrete to cover the entire bathroom like they did above. And if you are feeling extra bold, then the bathroom below might be for you what with its graphic pattern and bold emerald green color.

Bathtub in the Bedroom:

This one definitely isn’t for everyone or every floor plan. BUT, if you are one that likes a romantic soak in the tub and also has enough room to house the sink, toilet and shower in a separate room then we have you covered with this one. This one can either go real cheesy real fast and make it end up like you are singing your way through a Taylor Swift music video (which does sound pretty amazing) but if it is done in a tasteful way and if it works with the architecture of your house then it can work.

really sold the idea in her loft where she had the bathtub in the bedroom area up on a pedestal and then the rest of the bathroom was in a separate room. If you need a bit more privacy during your tub time than this would give you, then scroll fast and skip to the next trend, but if you are into it then let’s look at a few more that have done it well.

This room leans a bit shabby chic which may mean it isn’t for you, but for a rustic and antique style it works well in the space with that rusted clawfoot tub.

You can also bring in a modern style bathtub into an older space like they did above. It helps that there is a dramatic arched window framing it out, but man is this setup beautiful.

Floating Vanities:

2017 was the year of the “furniture vanity”. The vanity that looks like it was a custom piece of furniture that worked perfectly with your decor that had then been retrofit to house a sink and plumbing. So… is 2018 the year of the floating vanity? We aren’t quite sure yet, but keep reading to find out more.

By Floating Vanity we mean the type of vanity that has all of its parts and plumbing components tucked neatly under some sort of a skirt either made of stone, wood or another material so it visually simplifies the entire counter and vanity area. It has always had a place in modern design, but we are now seeing it used in other styles and we love the results.

I love that they eliminated the plumbing from under the sink on this one and then brought the lines down from the ceiling to provide water to the faucet. I am guessing the mirror is on another wall in the room and that this room is a powder room versus a full bathroom, but regardless I love this sweet little blue and white bathroom.

Here you see it in a bit more traditional style and not only does it free up floor space to really show off that plaid tile but it also visually makes the bathroom feel more open which is a good solution if your bathroom is laid out like this one where you open the door and walk into the side of the sink versus the front of the sink. See, trends are more than just visual eye candy, they solve problems too.

It can be done with a double vanity as well, and a towel bar in front like you see above. Or, a simple single vanity with an integrated towel bar like you see below.

I love this little room with that graphic tile and simple clean vanity area.

Freestanding Bathtub:

Next up, the freestanding bathtub. You may have noticed it in a lot of the other trend pictures already in this post, but we wanted to call it out directly as it is such a beautiful option. My best friend Corbett just did it in her Master Bathroom and MAN is it stunning. She has a full wall of tile behind it and we cannot wait to get in there and style it out and shoot it to show it to you.

Stick it in a little alcove and really make it a focal point like they did here.

Or if you have the space, you could bump out a wall in your existing bathroom and add a skylight and a beautiful freestanding tub like you see here and you have a pretty wonderful place to get ready in the morning. All this construction is obviously easier said than done and the plumbing and actual bathtub can be expensive but these bathrooms do sell the idea very well.

I love all of these so much, and they are giving me major inspiration for a freestanding tub in the mountain fixer-upper. Should we do one? What are your thoughts on them.

Open Ledge Storage:

Remember a few years ago when we stopped hanging things and started leaning things on ledges. Many a painting I have styled out leaning up on a ledge towards the wall vs. hanging on the wall, and the concept is seeping into the bathroom. This trend may only be fitting for the “lifestyle mafia” type person. But man do I want to decant all my soaps, toss out my generic toothbrushes, and lean a little piece of art on a lot of these ledges.

Something to keep in mind with these. If you have the need for a lot of storage then you should consider having some sort of medicine cabinet, vanity or storage solution as these ledges really should only be used for the prettier items in your life. IE your shaving cream, anti-itch cream, and floss should be kept elsewhere as this is the space for your prettier perfumes, soaps, and a bud vase or small piece of art.

source

You might be hating this trend at this point as it is purely aesthetic and not the most functional but we love the extra ledge it provides to add a little something special into your bathroom.

Excuse me while I rest my copy of Jane Eyre on my bathroom vanity while I jump in the shower real quick.

Black Fixtures:

Alright, this is one that we are very, very into and see having a big future both in 2018 and in some upcoming design projects we have going on. Yes, I love brass (and always will), but black is back and better than ever.

Black is a color that is always timeless, will never go out of style and works with just about any design style which makes this trend a very easy one to adopt for basically anyone. It also mixes well with just about any surface, material or hardware so it makes it very easy to mix it in to your current bathroom setup.

This room by really showcases how black fixtures can update and slightly modernize the feel of an older home and bring a visual graphic dose to what would otherwise feel traditional.

Here you can see it in a modern setup, or below in this bold black and white bathroom.

As you can see it works basically everywhere. It’s simple, clean, classic and timeless which make it a winning trend for us this year.

It also allows you to keep everything else minimal and simple (like you see below) and let the hardware and the graphic dose of black in the room do the talking. It’s subtlety at it’s finest.

Integrated Shower:

Shower doors you say…. who needs shower doors? This trend embraces the lack of them or the very sparing use of them and we love it. If you’ve been to Europe then you may have seen this concept in just about every home, hostel, or hotel and for good reason. It not only visually is more simple in the bathroom but it frees up a lot of space needed for the door to open and close. So if you have a small bathroom it could be a good solution for you.

A few notes on this one. Although these bathrooms really sell the idea of losing all your shower doors, you may still need to keep one wall of glass to prevent the water from going everywhere. You also will need to integrate the drain and plan to have this type of shower as the floor will need to be sculpted to drain into an area so you don’t end up with a flood of water pouring out from your bathroom door. Last but not least – these showers can be breezy (as in cold) if you are used to tighter smaller shower spaces as you don’t have as much steam or heat around your body while you shower, so you will want to make sure you have a suitable shower head to keep you warm during your wash.

Ok, now that we have gotten through the logistics. Let’s admire some of these integrated showers.

Notice a few trends happening in this bathroom? Floating vanity, integrated shower, a ledge (although it is in the shower) AND black fixtures. Yes, yes, yes, and yes.

Concrete & Plaster:

We saw concrete come into trend very hard right around the early 2000’s. Remember everyone DIYing kitchen counters and staining their concrete floors? But the more refined version is happening in bathrooms and it is looking good my friends. It can be used on the walls and vanity like you see above, to form yourself spa-like bathtub like you see below…

Or even to build yourself a custom sink like in this one. I love the combo of materials in this one. Stained black wood walls, concrete sink, brass fixtures, and honed wood countertops.

You’ll also notice that most of these examples feature concrete that is lighter in tone which is also the reason why it works. We saw so much concrete come into trend years ago that was so dark, colored, or tinted that the fresher, lighter version is a great contrast (no pun intended) to what we saw come into trend hard and then quickly fade. Who is to say that this won’t fade as well… but, we love the look of it.

Marble Walls:

Marble will always be in trend and has always been in trend. But marble done in large overscale slabs from floor to ceiling like we are highlighting here is something that we love this year. Is it cost effective? NO. But it definitely makes a statement and is something that will last forever. You will want to steer clear of anything that has too much variation in it as that visually will end up making things look very chaotic and may not feel as timeless as it once did when you installed it, but a simple veining in a tonal color combo will always stay classic.

You’ll notice in these examples that if they used a lot of marble then they didn’t use a lot of anything else. The design, the styling, and the accessories are kept at a minimum as the marble serves as the main visual talking point.

With marble you can also “bookmatch” it, which is what they have done below. Basically, they take a large slab of marble, chop it in half and then match the ends so the veining lines up and it looks like you are opening a book with matching pages. Its a pretty dramatic (and somewhat costly) way to install marble but man does it look beautiful.

Terrazzo:

Last but certainly not least, Terrazzo. Terrazzo seeped into the end of 2017 as a big new trend on the design scene and we only see it getting bigger. For those of you not familiar with terrazzo it is composite material that involves the pouring of multiple materials into a binding agent (like cement) and then they lay it down and grind it all to a uniform surface. It is a very laborious and very expensive process, but it is something uniquely custom and not something that you will see in everyone else’s house.

There are quite a few companies that make terrazzo tiles or slabs that you can purchase. Or you can customize it and pick all the different colors and materials that go into the mix which an installer will then pour, grind and polish in your home which will give you your own unique look.

Part of me wishes they would have continued the terrazzo down on the floor in this bathroom as those walls are so beautiful but the visual break on the floor makes this bathroom really work and lets the terrazzo stand out.

You can keep it monochromatic like they did above with shades of white, or go graphic like they did below with this jewel toned bathroom.

So, we expect some feedback – which ones do you love? Which ones do you not love so much? Do you see any of these being “too trendy” and we will quickly tire of them in a few years or do you see some of these still looking stylish for years and years. We would love to know your thoughts below.

This is a randomly specific request, but I’d love some resources for shower stools. Or at least stools that can go in the shower stall. I’m sure I’m not alone in looking for a chic-but-water-resistant option to rest my foot on while I shave and aside from a few Kartell products, I’m coming up with snake eyes. Thanks!

YES! This post made my heart soar – why? Because our master bath will be finished in just a few weeks, and according to this post, my design in ON-TREND! 120″ long floating vanity from RH (check!), free-standing 7′ cast iron white clawfoot tub with custom painted black feet (check!), matte black finishes in the shower (check!), integrated shower with linear drain (check!), and while we don’t have full walls of tile, we have a lot of tile – took the tile guys three weeks to install it.

The first image with the blue tile floor is gorgeous! I also love the idea of floating vanities, concrete, and black fixtures. I’ve been using black fixtures in my house for a while now, and I love the look. The only thing here that turns me off is terrazzo. Oof, that last image looks like the Hamburglar met his grisly end in that bathroom.

I have a teeeeeeny tiny guest bath set up like the plaid tile floating vanity image, I may have to try something like that in there!
So many of these are gorgeous, but I’m not sure I see the brightly colored terrazo standing the test of time…. imagine trying to do your makeup in there at 7am :-/ but I love the more monochromatic, muted terrazo! The black fixtures I’m not sure will last forever, but the great thing there is it’s easy and not too expensive to swap those out when you get tired of them.

Beautiful bathrooms. Thank you for the post. I also wanted to thank you for being confident to list other blogs in your post. You listed several d.i.y. people on your yesterday’s post and I enjoyed learning from them. I get the impression that people don’t like to list other bloggers for fear we will leave you for them. You are a ray of sunshine and no one will compare to you so keep listing them. I love your confidence. Thank you.

I enjoyed this round up much more than I expected too, mostly because Emily, you do a great job of balancing the ridiculous for me( that book rest?, free-standing tubs in bedrooms with wooden floors?) with the interesting (all the marble and the concrete)! I’m not in the market to update a bathroom, but if I was – no to the terrazzo and yes to the floating vanities and concrete finishes.

I love all of this except the Terrazzo. I just can’t get behind that trend – though the monochromatic picture isn’t so bad. It’s just too busy for the vibe I like in a bathroom. That said, at least it’s easier to maintain than something like tiny tiles and it is something different.

We did a mix of matte black and brass in our guest bath a few years back. At the time it was IMPOSSIBLE to source matte black (everything was oil-rubbed bronze – almost black – and went farmhouse very quickly) so I’m happy to see it gaining traction! I will say – our plumber saw our choices and pointe-blank asked if we like to replace fixtures regularly “because the hard water (minerals) are going to eat away at the fixtures within a year”. He was a touch grumpy and we were pot committed (install day, hello) so we went with them anyway. About a year later I am noticing some white minerals collecting (apparently we can remedy this with a few more thousand dollars with a whole-house water filtrations system – ugh) and I am devastated to see that the black is actually chipping off our drain switch on the tub, and brass is becoming exposed. I hope manufacturers are finding ways to avoid issues like these because man, it is pretty.

I know your pain! Even just a year ago we redid our bathroom and I had the HARDEST time finding legitimately matte black fixtures. Everything was oil-rubbed bronze, which- NOPE. We ending up going with brushed nickel because there weren’t good options for full-bathroom fixtures in matte black (shower door, shower, sinks, etc.) They were available at much higher price points, so I’m hoping to see these options make it more mainstream.

Hi Sheila, if it’s any worth – we have hard water as well, but it didn’t stop me from buying a black fixtures for our kitchen. Three years in, I never regretted. If anything, it shows less than stainless steel that we had before. (The same for our kitchen sink – stainless steel was terrible, but black ceramic is absolutely great!)

The integrated shower/bath. I LOVE the look. However, tell me how to keep this clean? I think I would have a mess around the bath and behind the bath all the time… wet, soggy lint and dust. How does this work in real life? Also, those look cold for a shower. This is a look I would love to integrate, but I’m afraid to because of keeping it clean. Do you have any input on that?

I love love love the luxury and romance of a freestanding bathtub, but wonder about cleaning for many of those examples. If it’s in the middle of a room, it’d be easy to get around it, but for those up against a wall, how are people cleaning the back side and around the base?

Such a great post. We gutted a house in 2007, and moved in in 2010. All of our bathrooms have the floating vanities and we have a spectacular stand alone tub in our Master. I guess we were ahead of the trend especially for Massachusetts.

Within each trend, the bolder, patterned, colorful options would be stunning for a powder room whereas the muted, monochromatic, natural material options are the ones I can imagine myself using for my daily routine. I see them all as equally interesting but concrete is the toughest sell for me, by no fault of it’s own.

You should absolutely install a freestanding bathtub in the mountain fixer upper! Vacations are the perfect time to enjoy a bath. I especially love the example with the bump out/skylight/wood wall. The marble walls look stunning in that photo but for a mountain home it would be cool to see rustic stone, rock/aggregate, or handmade tile replace the marble.

I always knew I was very uncool, but that’s been confirmed by how few of these I like. Ooof. I like the black hardware and the freestanding tub, but that’s about it. By body is viscerally rejecting the jewel tone terrazzo and the concrete options. Very interesting to look at even if most were just not my bag!

I would love sources for good stand alone bathtubs – or a roundup? What makes a quality tub? Same for the metal / black shower surrounds. I have no idea where to source something like that from! Thank you!

I fantasize about a marble slab wall in the bathroom, but I just don’t have that kind of cash. I am looking for nice floating vanities that still have at least a little storage. My bathroom is tiny, so a floating vanity would be nice to create the look of more space (although possibly eliminate some storage). I’d also consider adding hairpin legs, because even though that trend may be waning, I love it.

I have an ikea floating vanity for my teeny bathroom (). You can get new fronts made from semihandmade which I’ve often thought about. Can’t say I mind the “shiny” fronts all that much because I have great dane that likes to share his slobber with all the walls and those fronts make it easy to clean.

The ones I’m not so into are one-material rooms and the bathtub-in-the-bedroom (although I wouldn’t mind staying in a swanky hotel that did these in the right way, I just couldn’t see these in my home).

I can’t imagine floating vanities, freestanding tubs, integrated showers, and especially black fixtures becoming outdated any time soon. I feel like these have been around a while and will continue to be!

I’m not sure of the longevity of concrete and plaster elements but I’m in to them for now. I totally agree that lighter versions are the way to go (PLEASE no over-saturated dark brown/orange versions trying to look like granite).

The one I’m on the fence about is Terrazzo. Certainly the more neutral colors are easier on the eyes, or possibly a colorful version in smaller doses (think countertop instead of floor-to-ceiling).

Love freestanding tubs, they seem forever classic to me. But it’s a no for me for the integrated showers. I love me a hot steamy shower and that just seems breezy. Plus cleaning an integrated shower would be a nightmare. I can’t get on board with the one material bathroom either, it seems really sterile and cold to me. I like different textures and materials in a bathroom. I think I’ll stick to the trends of the last couple years with mixed metals and mixed wood with tile. Fun post though!

Thank you for all the inspiration you provide to us! I have long admired freestanding tubs in pictures. However, I recently stayed in some fancy hotel rooms that had them, and concluded I would never put one in my own home. There is no place to put anything, whether it be a book, a glass of wine, or even your soap! A stool next to the tub could solve that problem to a certain extent, but there are other problems as well. The splash-over factor was a big problem in one sleek tub I encountered, leading to a dangerous-feeling exit from the tub onto a slippery tile floor. In another (quite swank) hotel, I felt the cleaning of the floor around/behind the clawfoot tub left something to be desired (no doubt because it was difficult to access). Great roundup, and I appreciated that you identified the problems associated with some of these trends while celebrating the lovely aesthetics!

This was so comprehensive–thanks! I am only a little puzzled by the free-standing tub section…isn’t that a thing bathrooms have always had, since the beginning of bathing as we know it?! I know some bathrooms have a shower-tub combo, but many have them separated, especially bigger bathrooms that have been redone to the nines.
And if you have the space in your cabin, you should definitely have a nice separate tub.

i just finished remodeling three bathrooms and put black or a combination of black and brass fixtures into all of them. Also, I’m team terrazzo and have been forever. I particularly love the super colorful terrazzo–and i usually like pattern used sparingly, but that is like living in a piece of
gorgeous art

Really great post, trying to get my husband to commit to an ensuite renovation. Think ugly corner jet-tub. It’s gotta go. I would love a round-up of varying prices of freestanding tubs — in a variety of lengths! I don’t mind the LOOK of a lot of the trends, but at some point, practicality sets in. Floating vanities are ok if they have storage underneath. The ones without beg me to ask where all the stuff is? Marble, yes. Terrazzo, no. It reminds me of the floor at Safeway. Can’t get past it. I really couldn’t commit to anything TOO trendy because I just know I will be sick of it in 2 years. Or when we go to sell the house, potential purchasers will say, “Oh, you can tell the bathroom was renovated in 2018…” It has to be somewhat seamless with the rest of the house.

LOVE love love free standing tubs. I’ve had one for over 15 years in our house and either I or my husband use them 2-4 nights a week. Definitely need one for the mountain house! They are something of a puzzle to figure out placement – but totally worth it.

This is so good! I will say some of these things, such as, free standing tubs, matte black fixtures, integrated showers (aka, wet rooms) and iron grid shower doors have been a trend for quite a few years now. That said, all the other trends you discuss are things that feel pretty new or new again. Loved it!

Definitely do the freestanding tub in your mountain home, but make sure it is not raised up on feet. Nobody loves looking at dust and hair bunnies under the tub, and absolutely nobody likes wiping them up all the time. Thanks for the post — can’t wait to see your new stuff!

Have you ever seen anyone (or yourself done) tile on the sides of an existing bathtub? I’ve seen some bathrooms where the tub’s face has tile (example: ) and am wondering if this might be an option for us rather than replacing the tub. Budget-wise, I’d like to avoid the cost of the demo and installation for a new tub, but we want to replace all the tile on the walls and floor and add a new vanity. If we do that, the existing tub will look out of place. Would love to hear your thoughts on a compromise like that.

All of these are definitely beautiful!! Some of them not so practical for a lot of clients though. Open shelves and showers are the main ones that stick out but, MAN, they make for beautiful spaces! Great job pulling these trends. 🙂

Integrated showers are pretty but everytime I use one in a hotel I’m glad I don’t have one. I like incredibly hot showers that create an almost steam-bath vibe. Maybe because I live in Minnesota. But the shower is never enough of a hothouse for me.

We did a bookmatch slab on our fireplace and actual marble was beyond our budget but still loved the look. We found a company called Laminam (www.laminam.it) out of italy that makes damned good replicas out of ceramic at a much lower cost. Worth looking into!

So besotted with Terazzo and am planning on using some for my upcoming reno (timelessly quirky!), but will leave the freestanding tub. They are a total pain to keep clean (try getting the vacuum cleaner swivelled enough to get in between the tub and the back wall!). Plus it’s just too tempting to anyone under six to see how many rubber duckies they can shove down the back, naturally right into the spots that are hardest to reach! Bless ’em.

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Hello!

Emily is a stylist, author and T.V. host with a strong commitment to vintage inspired approachable home style for every single person. Perfection is boring; Let’s get weird. learn more

Interior Design Blog by Youxi988

I started this interior design blog in 2010 as a journal of my style and home projects with the belief that design should be approachable, informational and accessible no matter what budget.

As a home style expert who has a strong commitment to peeling back the intimidating layers of the world of home decor, and showing how every person can have a beautiful home that represents their personality, no matter what the budget.

After styling for magazines and catalogues for years, I started my own interior design blog, won HGTV Design Star, and have gone on to host my own hit TV show Secrets from a Stylist, Author the book STYLED, and create the design firm Youxi988 Design.

My motto has always been to write and publish on my blog what I personally want to read about.